In February of 1998, my parents had to go to Berlin for business.  Now one would think for a wanderlust travel bug that I was at that age (16), I would have jumped at going with them.  But no I played it like I was being shipped off to reform school when they told me I was going.  My reluctance to go stemmed from the fact that I would be missing Valentine’s Day with a certain someone.  They told me I could bring a friend, any friend, so I invited a good female friend who has turned out to be one of the main reasons I have traveled as far as I have in my short life.

At that point in my young life, I was not ready to fully confront the past that Germany had.  I didn’t understand why they wanted to completely dismantle the Wall.  I was intrigued and clearly they were haunted.

That February, Berlin was freezing, but I had the time of my life in that four-day period.  My friend and I went to an awesome bar (any bar you can get into at 16 years old is awesome) and had a fun time giggling and chatting.  I remember thinking so this is why it is important to have smart female friends!  During the four-day period, a bird shat on my head, I saw some amazing art and grew closer to my friend forgetting all about the reasons I didn’t want to go in the first place.

What sticks with the most is being able to see what Soviet Europe had looked like.  My only trips to Europe before had been to cities like Paris or London where cities were both exquisitely historic and fashionably modern.  In Eastern Berlin that wasn’t the case.  Stepping between East and West was mind boggling, as it had only been mere years since the literal division was taken away.  But divisions still existed in 1998 and I noticed it when we took a historic tour around the city.  Clearly, things were omitted, smoothed over and well avoided.  At one point we got out to take pictures of the Wall that were still intact.  Our tour guide mentioned how the city was poised to take the Wall completely down.  This made me sad, as they clearly served as a blank canvas for people to voice their frustration, talent, humor and to capture their feelings for younger generations to see.

Four years later, I found myself in Berlin during a backpacking trip.  I was surprised and excited by how vibrant the city seemed.  I stayed in a hostel in what was East Berlin, which seemed to be lacking the desolate feeling, which had encompassed it years earlier.  I visited Holocaust memorials and exhibits at different museums.  I even went to the fun and eclectic Checkpoint Charlie Museum.

I also noticed that parts of the Wall were still up for preservation purposes.  I thought perhaps the City had decided to hang on to a bit of its legacy. In the four years since I first visited, Berlin had grown more into else. While still changed forever by its troubling history decided to try and remember what set it apart from its other European siblings.

That trip changed my life in so many ways that I didn’t even realize at the time.  I strengthened a frienship that is still integral to my life (and still centered around travel from Connecticut to Australia!).  And it cemented my desire to study history, as I was able to see how a city’s own history impacted the way it was viewed by outsiders and insiders.